Alliances

OneShield Inc., Woburn, Mass., has struck and agreement with Canadian-based Cognos Inc., whereby OneShield will resell Cognos' data access and reporting tools-Cognos PowerPlay and Cognos Impromptu-as add-on components of the OneShield Dragon product suite. The combined offering will provide customers with distribution channel metrics, product statistics, hit ratios, and timely reporting, according to OneShield.Four insurance carriers have signed on as founding sponsors of Trusted Choice, the new consumer marketing brand created by the Independent Insurance Agents of America, Alexandria, Va., and independent agency insurance companies. The carriers committed to the program are Seattle-based Safeco, National Grange Mutual/Old Dominion Insurance, Keene, N.H., Encompass Insurance, Chicago, and The Hartford, Hartford, Conn. All brand promotion will direct consumers to www.TrustedChoice.com, where they will find an agency locator and consumer-oriented insurance information.

Westwood, Mass.-based e-Nable Corp., and Verona, N.J.-based Data-Life Associates-a provider of automated solutions to the life insurance industry-have formed an alliance aimed at reducing costs associated with underwriting and issuing life insurance policies. By integrating their systems, e-Nable and DataLife will be able to transmit relevant data via a secure, private network using the Insurance e-Nable product suite.

The Bisys Group Inc. has acquired Life Brokerage Corp., a Florida-based insurance brokerage firm specializing in the estate liquidity insurance marketplace. The acquisition marks Bisys' 10th insurance services-related acquisition since 1996 and continues its strategic expansion. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

PayMaxx Inc., a payroll processing firm, in Franklin, Tenn., has forged an alliance with The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Hartford, Conn., which will enable PayMaxx offer its business customers access to workers' compensation insurance from The Hartford. The agreement expands on the PayMaxx PayComp system, whereby premiums are calculated and paid on a per-payroll basis.